Great Train Robbery (1963)

Great Train Robbery

Mentmore Bridge (previously known as Bridego Bridge and then Train Robbers' bridge),[1] scene of the robbery
Date	8 August 1963
Time	Just after 03:00
Location	Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn, England
Coordinates	51°52′44″N 0°40′10″W / 51.87889°N 0.66944°W / 51.87889; -0.66944
Also known as	Cheddington Mail Van Raid
Cause	Train robbery
Participants	Bruce Reynolds Roger Cordrey Gordon Goody Buster Edwards Charlie Wilson Jimmy Hussey Ronnie Biggs Tommy Wisbey John Wheater Jimmy White Brian Field
Outcome	Theft of £2.61 million (the equivalent of £69 million as of 2024)
Non-fatal injuries	Jack Mills (train driver)
Charges	Conspiracy to rob armed robbery obstructing justice receiving stolen goods
Verdict	Guilty
Convictions	11 men sentenced (Bill Boal and Lennie Field later exonerated) to terms up to 30 years

The Great Train Robbery was the robbery of £2.61 million^[2] (calculated to present-day value of £69 million - or $73,547,750) from a Royal Mail train travelling from Glasgow to London on the West Coast Main Line in the early hours of 8 August 1963 at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn, near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England.^[3]

After tampering with the lineside signals to bring the train to a halt, a gang of 15, led by Bruce Reynolds, attacked the train. Other gang members included Gordon Goody, Buster Edwards, Charlie Wilson, Roy James, John Daly, Jimmy White, Ronnie Biggs, Tommy Wisbey, Jim Hussey, Bob Welch and Roger Cordrey, as well as three men known only as numbers "1", "2" and "3"; two were later identified as Harry Smith and Danny Pembroke. A 16th man, an unnamed retired train driver, was also present.^[4]

With careful planning based on inside information from an individual known as "The Ulsterman", whose real identity has never been established, the robbers escaped with over £2.61 million. The bulk of the stolen money has never been recovered. The gang did not use any firearms, though Jack Mills, the train driver, was beaten over the head with a metal bar and suffered serious head injuries. After his partial recovery, Mills returned to work doing light duties. He retired in 1967 and died in 1970 due to an unrelated illness. Mills never overcame the trauma of the robbery.^[5] After the robbery, the gang hid at Leatherslade Farm. The police found this hideout, and incriminating evidence, a Monopoly board with fingerprints,^[2] led to the eventual arrest and conviction of most of the gang. The ringleaders were sentenced to 30 years in prison.